Improvement in pulleys or gear-wheels



.1.. B..YMAsuN. Puleys nr Gear Wheels.

Patented 0ct.26,.1875.

N--PETERSI PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHNGTON, D C

, Well-known way, is secured a hub, b, which i this hub or disk, or in the arms of the hub, lI

UNITED 'STATES JOHN B. MASON, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

QUINGY, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM H. L. SMITH, OF- BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

,IMPROVEMENT vIN PULLEYS ORGEVAlR-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 169, 114, dated October 26, 1875; application filed y v y July 15, 1815;.

To all whom it mag/concern: Beit known that I, JOHN B. MAsoN, of Quincy, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Pulleys or Gear-Wheels, of which the following is a specication This invention relates to pulleys or gear- Wheels for transmitting power 5 and consists inthe combination of a loose pulley or gear with a support disconnected from the shaft, about which the pulley or gear moves, and adapted to sustain the pulley or gear when disconnected in any way from the shaft and it is desired to have the pulley or gear to cease its movement.

Figurejl is a section through this improved pulley or gear. Fig. 2 is a face view thereof, partly in section. Fig. 3 isa section of a modified form of pulley; Fig. 4, a face view of Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a modification of clutchsupporting arm, and Figs. 6 and 7 side and end views of a modified form of collar.

The pulley or gear-wheel, with a smooth or usual belt-receiving face, or vwith teeth, is constructed and combined with the driving. shaft, so that it can be conveniently attached to and detached therefrom while the shaft is in-motion, the pulley or gear remaining at. rest, and isolated from the-shaft, thereby saving frictionvand wear usually attending the employment of a loose pulley, and also saving l the shifting ofa belt, or equivalent connector, when it is desiredto stop any single machine, or any secondary or intermediate line of shafting, while the main line lcontinues to run, or when it is desired to detach one line of shafting from another for any purpose. v

This invention is shown -as carried out in the following manner: On a-shaf't, a, in any may be made as a'disk, as shown ini-the drawing, or may consist of a hub with arms extending radially therefrom, the' arms being connected, preferably, by an exterior rim. ln

bore or Idrill holes from the circumference to, or nearly to, the shaft-receiving opening in the hub, and in these holes (two or more, the number varying according to the'work to be accomplished by the pulley) are fitted sliding arms c, havin-g at their outer ends segmental yfriction-surfaces d, which may be formed with outwardly-inclined faces, as shown at Fig. 1,

adapted to enter a correspondinglyshaped groove in the interior of the rim e; or the fric-A tion-surfaces may havetheir faces grooved to receive a projecting `bead or pin, f, (see Fig. 2) on the interior surface of the-rim e; or the faces of the friction devices d may be made as curves, or otherwise varied, the faces, however, fltting a correspondingly-revcrsed shape in or from the rim, they thereby preventing motion of the rim in the direction ofthe length of the driving-shaft.` lThese friction devices, when forced out by movingY the arms, engage the rim, and cause it to move with the hub or disk, as though it formed part of the same;

and when the arms and friction-surfaces arel drawn toward the hub the rim is left unclutched, and is allowed to remain at rest, while the hub or disk and shaft continue to rotate, the rim at this time resting on a support, g, (see Figs. l and 2,) projecting from a hanger or supporting bracket or bearing, h, the support entering a groove, i, in the interior of the rim, as in Fig. l, or the rim e may have a projection, j, Fig. 2, to enter agroove in the support g. The arms c are shown as operatedwpositively, in both directions, to and from the shaft a,'by means of grooved pins k, one for each arm c, and projecting from a collar, l, grooved at m to receive a shipper, in the usual manner, the collar being fitted to the shaft a, so as to slide longitudinally thereon, and the movement of the collar l laterally away from the hub is regulated so that the collar cannot in its regular movement move so far as to withdraw the pins from contact with the arms. These pins lo have grooves n, made with inclined or curved faces, commencing at the outer ends of the pins, and extending nearly to the portion o of the collar, and then,.for a short distance, the faces lof the grooves are, preferably, less inclined, and nearly parallel with the shaft b, and'this is to furnish the ends or shoes ofthe arms c with a nearlyhorizontal resting-surface, vso as to thereby overcome any tendency of the parts to move laterally when it is not desired for them to so move.

rllhe inner ehdstof the arms c `are fashioned the inclined or curved grooves therein, acting on the shoes orhooksof the arm`s,will move i them in either direct-ion, so as to `clutch `or. disi engage the friction-surfaces with or from the rim, andto hold them in either of these positions, and the amount of friction between the friction devices and the rirn may be moremor less.

It is evident thatthe pins maybe made as wedges, and be adapted to enter slots inthe lower endsof the arms. These arms, or the o devices for moving the friction-surfaces out orin,.maybe changed, or otherwise formed, and, instead thereof, any devices now known' z fniaybe `used to move the friction Adevices to or from thegshaft a, to engage or disengage the rim). 'llhese: arms, instead of i being `made in onepiece, preferably, shouldbe made in two par ts,`x(see Fig. 5,) and be proyided with a right-and-left-threaded `screw,` p, lor` collar,

(shown in dotted lines, Fig. 5,) fitted to screw- J- threadson theoutsides of the armsc, this proi `vision ffpermitting the arms and friction de- `vicestobe adjusted to the desiredposition; fand I provide a set-nut, r, (dotted lines, Fig.

5,) to confinethearrns in adjusted position'.

" When thelcollar and pins k are drawn out,

" `and thearinsc are drawn toward the shaft, removingrhe friction devices d from `actuating contact with the rime, the rim is left loose, and. is permitted gto `fall alittle froinits previous position, so as to` be supported by the support g,and inthis` position the shaft a and `hubl bcontinue to rotate, the rim remains at restwithits belt,`and the rim so supported cannotmove laterally with relation to the shaft; butwhen the rim is elevated by the action ofthe arms and friction-surfaces, or picked up oi from the support, and made to operateas adriver, then the rim does not Y touch the support, and there is` no friction between them.` i

i `The hub or disk bis shown as providedl with openingas, to permit the introduction of a screwdriver to the screws t, (shown in dotted lines, Figs. 2 and 4., and in Asection in Figs. 1

t and`3,) such screws holding the support g, Fig.g1,in position, orretaining 'the plate u,

`Figa, in position.` `'Iheseholes or openingse are also useful to permit thearms c to be adjusted `.when two-part arms are used, as in Fig. 5; but, instead ofthe circular openings, the openings may be made as segmental slots, or` the disk b may be otherwise cut away to makeitlight and afford access to` partsbef hind it. o V

.The rim, instead of being adaptedto receive abelt, may be cog ed or provided with teeth "w, `as shown in do ted lines, Fig. 1, to engage other toothed wheels or gear, and these teeth maybe ofany well-known shape.

Instead of the supports shown in Figs. l.

and 3, and extended about, but not -earried by,

thjjshaftaud within thoziimfrlmyemrloy any other equivalent support .capable of. `suspending the rim out of contactowith the hub or shaft,l substantially concentric with the*` shaft, while the hub or shaft rotates.

Instead of having only ther nicasthe part which` may be held at rest while the shaft ro-` o.

tates, I may make the hub ordisk smallerin diameter, and extend a platefrom the inner` portion of the rim tol meet Ythe friction-surfaces of the hub or disk.

In some cases it will be `desirable to `discon` `necta pulley from ashaft and suspendlit, as before described, and when a clutch would not be required, or the` cost thereof `be war-` o ranted by the exigencies of the work,and in o o such cases I suspend thepulley, substantially as before described, but disconnect it from.. the shaft, and reconnect it when" at restby o o .o .i 1 moans of asloeve or oollrrxseeFigs Gand?) i introduced between the .Shaft and the: hub; of

the pulley which is `to be driven, and saeh sleeve or collar'is madeof sutcient thickness,l o so that` when removed, and the pnlleyrests` on the supporting-arms, the shaft will `not come incontact withthe pulley, and such sleeve or collar may be `made of anyother` wellfknown or suitable form,and be attached tothe shaft and pulley, and detached from them, in` any of the usual methods of attach;-` ing pulleys to shafts-viz., by splines or keys, or setscrews, or bolts and` nuts. t

. I have describe.d il! uli` ent Ways of carrying outthis my improve ment; but it is evident it may ,be carried out in other ways without departingfromthis im t ,o o o vention, the gist of which is, ,disconnecting a pulley or gear from` its `moveri,---ahub, disk, or shaftand placing it at rest ona support` dis-` o connected from, or not moving with, the shaft,

while theV shaft' and hubor disk continue to o move; and I, therefore, donotdesire to limit o, this invention to the` exact form` of devices may beheld at rest as the moyerontinuestof rotate, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a' pulley or gear and a rotating shaft with` friction devices moved with the shaft, and adapted Itogengage a groove in or projectionfrom theginterior of thepulley or gear, substantially as ,descrbCL` The combinationof a loose pulley` or gear, t

substantiallyasdescribed, and arms and fric,.-h

tion devices d, withpins anda collar adapted` o to move the arms and friction devices posig-.l` tively in both directions, `theends; of the `fric.-` tion devices engaging a portion; of the interior of the pulley, and by;frictionbetween theends of the friction devices and;` pulley moving the pulley, substantially as described. i

4. The hanger or standard h and pulley-support, combined with the rim of the loose pulley, substantially as described, whereby the pulley is supported, and the rim and support are prevented from moving laterally, substantially as described,

5. The combination of the-shaft, collar, hub, friction devices, pins for actuating the arms of the friction devices, and loose rim or pulley, with a stationary support for the rim When released from the driving-shaft, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribin g witnesses. 4

JOHN B. MASON.- Witnesses:

G. W. GREGORY,

S. B. KLDDER. 

